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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday March 30, 2007 - 13 Fareshare stocks up with Easter drive By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Easter symbolizes renewed life and Oakville's Fareshare Food Bank is banking on its annual Easter Food Drive to replenish its stores, not just for Easter, but most of the coming year. Fareshare is appealing to Oakville residents to help. The first of its two large annual food drives begins this Saturday, March 31 and will continue until Sunday, April 15. Fareshare depends on this food drive to stock its shelves with nonperishable food items to last much of the year. According to Dudley Clarke, a volunteer who not only looks after Fareshare's books, but many other facets of the operation, too, the Easter and Thanksgiving food drives bring in between 75 to 80 per cent of the food Fareshare needs over the year. In the affluent town of Oakville, the local food bank quietly busies itself on the south side of Speers Road between Third and Fourth Lines -- in Unit 6 at 1240 Speers Rd. From there, its volunteers pick up, deliver, sort, package and put BARRIE ERSKINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER KEEPING FOOD ON THE SHELF: Fareshare volunteer Dudley Clarke gets satisfaction from helping feed hungry children. together grocery orders for client No one would be there if they didfamilies. n't have to be, maintains Clarke, notAll the food, and other necessities, ing many clients are the working sit neatly on the shelves waiting to fill poor, they are working and they are the gap in an empty tummy, in a making their way, they're just turnhome where often a gap in making ing to the food bank because they're ends meets drives the occupants to falling short. the food bank. Of course, no one wants to be at the food bank as a client. Yet Clarke and the other volunteers are long-time veterans at running the food bank and they are there because they do want to be -- for the camaraderie, friendship and the satisfaction of helping others. Fareshare was established in 1988, receives no government funding and is run entirely by the volunteers. "In 2006, we averaged 317 family visits per month, which was a significant increase from the 302 per month in 2005," said Clarke. So far this year, the food bank is serving 310 families, which Clarke said represents more than 1,100 people -- half of whom are children. Families are allowed to visit Fareshare once a month. Clarke said LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER the food they're allotted is based on HELPING OUT: Former Oakville high school principal Ron Ziegel, above, family numbers, but is enough to last who has volunteered at Oakville's food bank for seven years, helps unload about a week. Archie and Betty Robinson's car full of donations from Hopedale Presbyterian "We're not feeding anyone day in, Church where Clarke addressed the congregation. Below, food at Fareshare. day out. We're just helping them make ends meet," said Clarke. Anyone interested in donating to the Easter Food Drive can do so in a number of ways. Former Oakville high school principal Ron Zeigal is doing extra duty to keep the food bank open between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Saturday during the drive. Usually Fareshare is open only on Monday (from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and Thursday (from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.) All fire stations in Oakville will also accept donations to Fareshare and the food bank has special bins at all Oakville grocery stores into which residents can contribute food. Student volunteers will also be handing out paper bags to be filled with donations at the Real Canadian Superstore. And many local schools also hold food drives to collect food for Fareshare. "While donations of all non-perishable foods will be welcome, the items we invariably run short of are canned fruit, canned vegetables, except corn, canned tomatoes and instant coffee," said Clarke. Donations of money are also a mainstay of the food bank. The cash is used to buy items like meats, cheese and cooking oil. Clarke has even started buying apples to give with Fareshare orders, to ensure children are getting fruit. Clarke said he personally often bags the apples. "I have a lot of satisfaction in going and bagging the apples," he said. Money is also used to finance provision of vouchers, which are redeemable at local supermarkets for items like milk and fresh fruit, but the apples, which keep well and are now handed out with the Fareshare orders, ensure fruit is going home for children. "In 2006, we issued an average of $2,420 in vouchers each month. In addition, we spent $50,000 for perishable food items such as ground beef, sausages, wieners, chicken, fish and cheese," said Clarke. Oakville is fortunate in that it is without question an affluent town and so it is home to fewer needy families than most communities, admits Clarke. However, there is still a percentage of the population that is needy -- and it is those families that turn to Fareshare. At least half of those families are children and the fact that any children may go hungry is disturbing, said Clarke. At Thanksgiving and Christmas, the food bank provides families with a turkey, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce. Clients using Fareshare must disclose their financial situation during an interview and, if necessary, provide proof of the same before qualifying to visit. Clarke admits no one coming in off the street and indicating need is turned away their first time, however their financial situation is examined. Clients using the food bank for extended periods also have their financial situation reviewed. Clarke looks to many flaws at all government levels as contributing factors to why people must turn to See Food page 14 LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER TAKING PART: FareShare volunteer Graham MacEachern, above, stacks up donated pizzas while 12-year volunteer Vito Volterra, below, restocks shelves at the Speers Road food bank.